Bounty
by Zanza8
Summary: A pair of bounty hunters mistake Doc for a wanted man.
1. Chapter 1

Festus pulled up a fish at the end of his line, shaking his head, and Doc threw down his pole. "If you throw one more fish back because it's not big enough I'm leaving!"

"Golly bill, Doc, this little old fish ain't worth fryin'. You can see he ain't but a foot long."

The old man scowled and got to his feet. "I don't know how you do it." The deputy opened his mouth but Doc held up his hand. "Don't you dare try to explain, either!" He climbed the bank grumbling to himself and had almost reached the top when two men rode up, guns out.

"Stop right there."

Festus scrambled to his feet as Doc studied the strangers. "Well, what is it? I'm a busy man."

They looked at each other and one grinned. "You hear that, Harry? He's a busy man."

Harry looked somber. "I just bet he's busy. Real busy, spending all that money."

Festus had reached Doc's side and now he said, "What in tarnation are you talkin' 'bout? We ain't got no money."

The strangers dismounted and the first one said, "We're not looking to rob nobody, mister. This here is Booth Nelson and he's wanted in Nebraska." He took out a wanted poster and handed it to Festus. "We been trailing him for a month."

The deputy looked at the poster and said gruffly, "They ain't no picture on it."

"You don't need a picture to read the description!"

Doc took the poster and read out loud, "Booth Nelson. Wanted for swindling. Age about 60, medium height, medium build, blue eyes, gray hair and mustache. Wears a vested suit. One thousand dollar reward."

He stopped and Harry said, "That thousand dollars is going to get Tim and me to California."

Doc said coldly, "That description could fit any one of a hundred men. It so happens that I am Doctor Galen Adams and this is Deputy Marshal Festus Haggen. We live in Dodge City and we're neither of us outlaws."

"A doctor and a deputy!" scoffed Tim.

"That's right!" said Festus, coming forward and showing his badge. "You fellers have treed yoreselves the wrong possum, so before you do anythin' that you'll be sorry for you better just make tracks."

"We'll make tracks after we collect our reward," said Harry, taking Doc's arm. The old man pulled away and Tim grabbed him from the other side. Festus lunged forward and Harry brought his gun down on the deputy's head, then bent over the dazed man to unbuckle his gunbelt.

Doc knelt at his friend's side but Harry jerked him to his feet. "Come on, Nelson. Your friend's all right. Look, he's already moving."

Festus started to sit up, then fell back, moaning piteously. Doc tore himself loose. "I'm a doctor, I tell you! Now you let me check that man, or by thunder there will be hell to pay!"

"Oh, let him look at the feller, Harry," said Tim. "What harm can it do?"

Harry shrugged and waved his hand and Doc knelt again. "Festus?"

"Doc?" The deputy's voice was faint and the old man leaned forward. Festus moved his lips but no sound came out. Alarmed, Doc bent over with his ear by his friend's mouth. Festus murmured, "Make out I'm hurt too bad to ride." The deputy closed his eyes as the old man carefully ran his fingers over his head.

"Well?" asked Harry.

Doc sat back. "Well, he's badly hurt. He could have a fractured skull. He can't ride a horse, that's for sure."

Harry smiled unpleasantly. "It don't look to me like you two came on horseback...not with that little black buggy there. You gonna tell me he can't sit in a buggy?" The old man's shoulders sagged in defeat and Harry said harshly, "Now you get your friend on his feet or I'll put a bullet in him and leave him where he lays."

Doc gently shook the deputy. "Festus? Come on, Festus, wake up." His friend's eyes opened and the old man pulled him to his feet.

"Doc, I cain't hardly see straight..."

"I know, Festus. Lean on me." Doc helped Festus to the buggy, Harry and Tim right behind them with their fishing gear. As they reached it the deputy dropped to his knees and the two men picked him up and threw him in, then prodded Doc with their guns.

"Get in there, Nelson, and don't try any fast shuffles." Doc climbed in the buggy next to Festus, who was huddled to one side with his head in his hands. Harry and Tim mounted their horses and the old man picked up the reins and drove away.

Nobody noticed the deputy was no longer wearing his badge.


	2. Chapter 2

Kitty was in her office going over the inventory when the door opened and Matt slipped in. Walking softly, he came up behind her and grabbed her around the waist.

"Matt!" Kitty leaped in his arms and pushed him off. Grinning, he sat on the edge of her desk and she said, "You seem to be in good spirits. What's the occasion?"

"Isn't tomorrow a special day?"

Kitty raised her eyebrows. "Why, Marshal Dillon, do you mean to say you remembered my birthday?"

"Have I ever forgotten it?" She gave him a look and he amended that statement. "Have I ever forgotten it in the past twelve months?"

She laughed and took his hands. "I don't know what's worse...forgetting the day or remembering the year. You never do either, so maybe I'm ahead."

Matt smiled. "This time Festus wrote it on the calendar so I wouldn't forget." Kitty looked puzzled and the marshal explained, "He drew a picture of a birthday cake and a cat." Kitty smiled and shook her head and Matt pulled her to him.

There was a knock at the door. "Miss Kitty?" She sighed and went to let the intruder in.

It was Newly. The young man looked concerned and Matt came forward. "Something wrong?"

"I'm not sure, Matt," said Newly. "I was riding by Crooked Crik and I found this." He held out a United States deputy marshal's badge.

The marshal took it, frowning. "Doc and Festus went fishing there this morning."

"I know," said Newly. "I looked around for them." He took a deep breath. "I found the tracks of Doc's buggy...looked like he drove away and there were two riders with him. I wouldn't be worried, except for that badge."

"Where exactly did you find it?"

"Right by the buggy tracks. Either Festus took it off deliberately or somebody took it off him..." Newly's voice trailed away.

Kitty's eyes were apprehensive. "Matt?"

The marshal tucked the badge in his vest pocket. "Newly, saddle my horse."

"You want me to go too?"

Matt thought a moment. "No, there may be some reasonable explanation. You stay here and look after things."

Newly left and the marshal turned to Kitty. "I'm sorry..."

Kitty shook her head, going into his arms and looking up at him appealingly. "Just find them."

"Don't worry." Matt gave her a quick kiss and headed out, leaving Kitty with a nagging sense of foreboding despite his admonition.


	3. Chapter 3

The fire had burned so low only glowing coals were left before Doc dared to lean over and whisper, "Festus? Are you all right?"

Festus stirred, then shook his head, wincing. "I'm all right. Them fellers asleep, are they?" Doc nodded and the deputy strained at the ropes tying him to the buggy wheel. "These ropes is tighter'n the feathers on a prairie chicken's rump."

Doc tugged at his own bonds. "I can't believe this. They could take us all the way to Nebraska before they realize they made a mistake." His voice was tight with frustration and Festus spoke reassuringly.

"I'm thinkin' Matthew'll be on our trail before that."

Doc shook his head. "It could be a while before he realizes anything is wrong."

"Not oncet he gets my message."

The old man looked sharply at his friend. "What are you talking about?"

"Remember when I fell down by the buggy?"

"Well?"

"I tuck my badge off'n dropped it in the road. Now if'n we're lucky, somebody'll find that badge and turn it in."

Doc was impressed. "I hate to say it but that was a good idea." The deputy looked smug and the old man snapped, "Everybody's entitled to one good idea in their life. That's probably the only one you'll ever have."

One of the men by the fire mumbled in his sleep and turned over and Doc and Festus fell silent. Their captor settled down again and the deputy murmured, "We'd best try'n get some shut-eye too. They's fixin' to start at first light." Doc scowled but didn't say anything more and soon the only sounds to be heard were the music of the crickets and the snoring of the men.


	4. Chapter 4

Matt knelt and stirred the cold ashes of the fire, then looked carefully at the ground again. The signs were plain enough but what did they mean? The marshal got to his feet and walked back and forth, absentmindedly tossing Festus' badge up and down. Two men bedded down by the fire...and here were the tracks of two horses and Doc's buggy...the horses had been tied near the sleepers but the buggy had been left over there, about ten feet from the fire, and it looked like...

The marshal tucked the badge back in his pocket and knelt again. It looked like two men had been sitting side by side against the buggy wheel. Doc and Festus? Matt looked back at the ashes, frowning. It was not unusual for Doc to depart suddenly to some out of the way spot to see a patient, but he wouldn't leave without a word. Not when he had Festus with him and could send the deputy back with a message.

Matt could no longer deny something was seriously wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

"Whoa!" Doc pulled the reins on his horse and stopped the buggy, turning to Festus. Harry and Tim pulled up too and dismounted.

Harry was annoyed. "What is it now, Nelson?"

Doc looked at him disdainfully. "This man is in very bad shape. We need to stop a while, give him a chance to rest."

Harry walked over to the buggy and peered at Festus. The deputy was slumped over and did not respond when the young man shook him. Harry grabbed him by the hair and lifted his head and Festus groaned. "Leave me be, cain't you?"

Tim came up and touched Harry's arm. "Harry..."

His partner let go of Festus and the deputy whispered, "Water..."

Doc put an arm around his friend and snapped, "Get me a canteen!"

Gritting his teeth, Harry went over to his horse and brought back a canteen. Doc took it, glaring, then helped Festus drink. Tim walked away, his head bent, and after a moment Harry followed him.

Festus watched them go from under his eyelids, then asked softly, "What do you think, Doc?"

The old man ran his hand over his face. "If Matt's on our trail...if we can stall them long enough..."

Tim had stopped a few feet away and was hurling stones. Harry asked exasperatedly, "What's wrong with you now?"

"Harry, that one feller don't look so good."

Harry shrugged uneasily. "He's all right."

Tim picked up another rock, flung it with all his might, then turned to his partner. "We don't got no papers on him. What if he dies? We could be held for murder."

"He's not gonna die!" Harry looked over at the buggy. The old man was wiping his friend's forehead and now he looked over at them, his face a thundercloud. Harry lowered his voice and turned back to Tim. "He's not gonna die, Tim. Tell you what...like you say, we don't got no papers on him. He's not worth anything, so we'll just leave him at the first house we come to. How's that?"

Tim looked relieved. "I sure would feel a lot easier in my mind, Harry. I want to get to California but I sure don't want to kill nobody doing it."

Harry clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Neither do I. First place we can, we'll drop that feller off and that's a promise."

It was mid-afternoon when they saw the neat little farmhouse standing back from the road. Doc and Festus exchanged a look as Harry said, "All right, Nelson. Turn in here." The old man drove the buggy to the front of the house and pulled up. He started to climb down and Harry snapped, "Stay put!" The young man got off his horse and going to the buggy roughly pulled Festus out. The deputy started to fall and Harry steadied him. Holding Festus up, he made his way to the house and pounded on the door.

A middle-aged man answered. "What do you want?"

Harry dragged the deputy in and dropped him in a chair by the table. "I got a wounded man that can't travel no further. I'm leaving him here with you."

The farmer was startled. "Now wait a minute..."

Harry shook his head. "Mister, I don't got a minute. I got to be on my way. " The man made as if to protest further and Harry held up a hand. "I don't care what you do with him. He's a stranger to me." He started to walk past the deputy and Festus lunged at him, knocking him to the floor. Harry reached for his gun, but Festus already had it and he put up his hands.

"Well, this is more like it," said Festus. "Get up now, real gentle like."

Harry rose slowly to his feet. "You were playing possum all this time?"

"Sure does look that way, don't it? Now go call yore partner in." Harry went to the door and the deputy cocked the gun. "Don't you try nothin' neither."

Harry bit his lip, then opened the door and called, "Tim! Get in here!"

Tim frowned. "What for?"

Festus prodded Harry with the gun and the young man said, "I need some help with this feller. You want to get out of here, don't you? Get in here and give me a hand!"

Tim shook his head and drew his gun, pointing it at Doc. "All right, Nelson, I'm not taking any chances with you. Let's go."

Doc climbed down and walked to the house, Tim's gun in his back. As they went through the door Tim registered the farmer against the wall, an expression of bewildered outrage frozen on his face, and Harry in the middle of the room looking chagrined. A second later the young man realized his partner was missing his gun and he stopped short. Festus came from behind the door and Tim swung around, jerking Doc in front of him. "Drop your gun." He prodded Doc hard in the small of his back, causing the old man to gasp in pain. "You want to see your friend get shot? Drop your gun!"

The deputy's eyes turned dark. "You harm one hair on his head...just one! and I'll kill you both and leave you out yonder on the prairie for the buzzards."

Tim hesitated, looking at Harry. No help there. After another long moment he released Doc, dropping his gun and kicking it across to the deputy. Festus scooped up the gun and tucked it in his waistband, then motioned to their former captors. "Just set down over by the wall." They obeyed quietly and the deputy went to his friend. "Doc, you all right?"

Doc took a deep breath. "I'm all right."

The farmer finally found his voice. "See here, I don't know who you all are, but my wife is ailing and I want you out of my house!"

Doc turned around. "What's wrong with your wife?"

The farmer frowned. "How is that any of your business?"

The old man drew himself up. "I'm a doctor."

Warily eyeing Festus, Harry said, "He ain't no doctor, mister. That's Booth Nelson and he's wanted in Nebraska for swindling." He held out the poster to the farmer.

The man read it, looking even more confused, and Doc said firmly, "These men have made a mistake. I'm Doctor Galen Adams from Dodge City and this is Festus Haggen, deputy to Marshal Matt Dillon."

The farmer looked Festus over. "If he's a deputy, where's his badge?"

Doc gritted his teeth. "He lost it when these two..." He took a deep breath. "...men...kidnapped us."

The farmer crumpled up the poster and tossed it back to Harry, then shook his head. "I don't know which of you is lying and I don't care. I want you all out now."

The old man bristled and Festus came forward. "Now wait a minute," said the deputy. "I got somethin' to say." The farmer looked at the gun in his hand and he laid it on the table. "Could you tell me yore name, mister?"

The farmer seemed taken aback. "It's Fraser. Sam Fraser."

Festus nodded and waited a moment, then spoke quietly. "Mr Fraser, I have knowed Doc Adams here for a whole heap of years and I want to tell you that he is a good doctor and a good man...one of the best that I have ever saw. Now I know this is complexicated but if you got sickness in yore house you couldn' do better'n to let Doc help you." Festus turned to look at his friend and Doc's throat tightened as the deputy went on. "I owe this man my life more times'n I care to recollect and that's the pure ol'dee truth. Whyn't you let him take a look at yore missus'n see what he can do for her?"

Fraser looked irresolutely at the door to the other room. Doc made as if to speak but Festus shook his head very slightly and the old man subsided. The farmer walked over to Doc. "Are you really a doctor?"

Doc looked straight at the other man. "Yes, I am."

Fraser closed his eyes for a moment. "I would like you to take a look at my wife."


	6. Chapter 6

Matt spotted Doc's buggy in front of the farmhouse and applied his spurs, riding in quickly and tumbling out of the saddle. Before he finished tying his horse, the door opened and Doc came out. "Matt!"

The marshal hurried to his old friend. "Doc, I've been trailing you since yesterday! What happened? Where's Festus? Are you all right?"

Doc looked amused. "Well, which question do you want answered first?"

"I suppose first you can tell me if you and Festus are all right."

The old man nodded reassuringly. "We're all right."

Matt pushed his hat back. "What are you doing way out here?"

Doc ran his hand over his face, scowling. "We were picked up by bounty hunters."

"Bounty hunters!"

Doc nodded vigorously. "They had a wanted poster on some man whose description I happen to barely fit..."

Matt grinned. "They thought you were an outlaw?"

"It's not funny!" huffed the old man. "They hit Festus over the head, they dragged us halfway across Kansas, they..."

Seeing that his friend was warming up for a long harangue, the marshal cut in. "Where are they now?"

"Oh, they're inside. Festus is watching them but they're not going to give any more trouble. They're pretty well chastened thinking about what a big mistake they made." He smiled and shook his head. "Matt, sometimes I really do believe everything happens for a reason. The man who owns this place...his name is Sam Fraser...his wife had appendicitis. She would have died without medical attention. Now what are the chances of a doctor being delivered to the door just when it's a matter of life and death?"

Matt smiled too. "I don't know, Doc. Is Mrs Fraser going to be all right?"

"She's going to be fine. I took out her appendix a few hours ago and she's been sleeping peacefully ever since. Our two bounty hunters finally believe I'm not this Booth Nelson they wanted..."

The marshal looked sharply at his friend. "Booth Nelson? I seem to remember something coming in last week about him."

It was Doc's turn to look surprised. "You do?"

"He was wanted in Nebraska for swindling...tried it in Garden City and got himself shot."

Doc opened the door. "Well, you'd better tell those fellows before they go after somebody else."

Festus was sitting at the table with two young men and he jumped to his feet, beaming. "Matthew!"

Matt smiled broadly. "Festus, it's good to see you." He reached in his pocket and pulled out the badge. "I think you dropped something."

The deputy took the badge and pinned it on. "Somebody turn it in, did they?"

"Newly found it." The marshal looked sternly at the two young men still sitting down, their faces glum. "Are you the men responsible for kidnapping Doctor Adams and my deputy?"

Harry got to his feet, clearing his throat nervously. "I guess you're Marshal Dillon."

"That's right."

"I'm Harry Burdock." He poked Tim, who rose reluctantly. "This here's my partner, Tim Madden." Tim nodded his head, his eyes downcast. "Marshal, we know what an awful mistake we made but we didn't do it out of meanness. We trailed that Nelson feller from Nebraska...thought we finally caught up with him. We were gonna use the bounty on him to get to California."

"And my deputy?"

Harry looked sheepish. "We thought he was a hired gun Nelson took on." Festus snorted and Matt gave him a warning look. The deputy seated himself at the table and poured a cup of coffee and Harry went on. "We're sure sorry for all the trouble we caused."

The door to the bedroom opened and Fraser came out, smiling. Doc asked, "How's she feeling?" The farmer looked at Matt. "This is Marshal Matt Dillon."

Fraser went to Matt and stuck out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, marshal." They shook and he turned back to Doc. "She's hungry. That's good, isn't it?"

The old man smiled back. "That's very good. Why don't you get some broth while I check her?" He went into the bedroom and came out a few minutes later. "She's fine, Mr Fraser. Give her some broth now and in the morning she can have whatever she wants."

Fraser stuck out his hand. "I can't tell you how grateful I am that you showed up." Doc shook his hand and the farmer went back into the bedroom.

Tim asked diffidently, "What are you going to do with us, marshal?"

Matt raised his brows. "I'm not going to do anything unless Doc and Festus want to press charges for kidnapping."

The old man sat down across from Festus and accepted a cup of coffee from his friend. "Don't look at me, Matt. I'm just a simple country doctor. I leave decisions like that up to the law."

Festus looked thoughtfully at Doc. Their eyes held for a moment, then he said, "Well, Matthew, bein's how nobody got really hurt and Mrs Fraser in there needed Doc so bad...and you know she wouldn'ta had no doctorin' 'thout these two scamps gettin' holt of us in the first place..." He paused. "I think mebbe you could let 'em off with a warnin' this time." The old man smiled approvingly at his friend and the deputy sat back with a satisfied expression.

"I'll do better than that." Matt drew himself up to his full impressive height. "I'm going to give you some advice. You'll never collect any bounty on Booth Nelson, because he was killed last week in Garden City." Harry and Tim looked at each other in dismay and the marshal went on. "Now if you're smart you'll forget all about bounty hunting and find another line of work to raise money for California."

The two young men smiled with relief and Tim asked, "Then you're letting us go?"

Matt nodded. "You two have a second chance."


	7. Chapter 7

Kitty was at the end of the bar talking to Sam when Matt came in with Doc and Festus. The bartender nodded towards their friends and Kitty looked around, then turned back with a big smile and pressed his hand. "Bring a bottle and some glasses, Sam, and don't forget yourself."

Sam smiled back. "Right away, Miss Kitty."

Kitty took a moment to collect herself, then joined the men at their favorite table. Festus jumped up to pull out a chair and Kitty sat down, saying, "Well, Matt, I see you found them." Sam brought the bottle and glasses and pulled up a chair while Kitty poured drinks all round. "Doc, where were you and Festus anyway?"

Doc looked disgruntled. "There was a misunderstanding." He didn't seem inclined to say anything more and Matt just shook his head, grinning, when Kitty looked to him.

Festus spoke up. "I'll tell you 'bout it, Miss Kitty."

Doc grumbled, "I'm sure you will."

The deputy ignored him. "We wuz tuck prisoner by bounty hunters."

Kitty was incredulous. "What?"

"Yes'm. They had a wanted poster on Doc..."

"It wasn't on me. It was on a man who bore a slight resemblance to me."

"Well, you look enough like a outlaw they wuz sure they had the right feller." Festus assumed a long-suffering expression. "It's them beady little eyes of his, Miss Kitty. Tell you the truth, I figger it wuz only a matter of time 'fore somethin' like this happened."

Kitty's mouth twitched as she fought to hold back her laughter. "Doc, I take it you were able to convince them of the error of their ways?"

Doc snorted. "I was." He glared at Festus. "No thanks to you."

The deputy's gentle hazel eyes twinkled. "I done the best I could, but yore such a desp'rate lookin' character..." Doc got up and headed for the doors, Festus right behind him, "...I ain't s'prised they didn' want'a listen to me."

"I don't want to listen to you either!"

"Well, you should. You should be gratefuller a respect'ble man of my position is willin' to be seen with you."

"The only position you're going to be in is flat on your back if you don't leave me alone!"

They had gone and Sam left too as Matt sighed and turned to Kitty. "Happy birthday."

The laughter she had been holding back burst forth and she leaned over and hugged him. "Matt, I don't ever want a birthday like this again, but those two are still the best present I've ever gotten!"


End file.
